Beat the Cold this year

With the incessant rain and stormy weather of recent months, cold and flu season seems to have come slightly late this year. Low and behold though the temperatures are looking something like normal for January and I can hear coughs and sneezes ringing out across the office as we speak!

As predictable as the cold weather arriving, my cold has presented itself and it got me wondering if there is anything I can do to prevent getting ill every year?

Well the simple answer is...not really! It appears that after years of people telling me that vitamin C will help and that if I don’t wear a coat outside I will “catch cold”, these are complete fabrications! Neither of them have any proven effect on whether you are going to get a cold, if you don't believe me click here and hear it from the experts!

So what can you do? Well it seems the best thing to do is get an annual flu jab. Failing that simply good hygiene (regularly washing your hands and not raising your hands to your face) and a healthy diet (avoid fatty foods) are the most effective ways of beating the common cold.

If all of this fails though I know one sure way of making you feel better when you have had a long day in the office coughing and spluttering… a “hot toddy”. So below are my two favourite hot toddy recipe’s, one with alcohol, the other without.

Hot Toddy (alcoholic)

• Boiling water
• Honey
• Lemon (squeezy lemon is fine)
• Whiskey (something with a kick works better if you have a really blocked nose; Rum or Brandy also work well)
• Slice of Lemon if you have one lying around